


Hang To Dry

by Pentollsin



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Dehydration, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mermaid Papyrus, Possible Spicyhoney in the future, Psychological Torture, Spicyhoney - Freeform, Torture, Underfell Papyrus (Undertale), Underswap Papyrus (Undertale), mentions of killing, mermaid au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-17
Updated: 2018-09-17
Packaged: 2019-07-13 15:08:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16020446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pentollsin/pseuds/Pentollsin
Summary: One mistake makes Stretch realize not to ever trust in the people outside of the water. Or is there someone he maybe can...?





	Hang To Dry

The sun today wasn’t as strong as yesterday, the shines of light having more of an uncomfortably hot than burning feeling to it. Not that had a big change in Stretch’s situation.

He had given up opening his eyes since the sun rose. The brightness of the place just made it harder for his pinpricks not to disappear, even though he had small energy to summon them anyways. Every little movement was like thorns piercing through his body, his skull itching as he took another breath, the air seeming dry in his mouth.

He stopped counting how many days he had been there, trapped and left to suffer, only to break him. How many days it had been, since those greedy fishermen caught him in that storm, hoping to find even more of his kind once they made him talk. His queen and the Guard warned everyone about the dangers the Walkers can bring to them, but even if Stretch didn’t trust any of them in the slightest, he hoped they would be merciful. Was this really what he deserved because he was a mermaid who carelessly wandered off, not caring about the signs of the coming storm?

The fishermen were smart, they knew how to torture him in the cruellest way; they found a salty lake, close to the sea and lowered him down in it half way, until his whole tail and ecto-body was under the water. They then tied his hands to a nearby tree, his hands dangling above his head and preventing him from slipping further in, but fastened rocks to his fins so he wouldn’t be able to splash water on himself either. His upper body was slowly drying out, but his lower body was still wet, thus tricking his magic and preventing his ecto-body to dispel.

Stretch knew what they wanted from him, even before they said it; information for keeping him alive and letting him go. They wanted him to tell them where their kingdom was, where they could find his kind. He couldn’t let that happen. He couldn’t let the Walkers discover their home, that would bring disaster and danger to everyone. He knew now that every Walker was a rapacious bastard and if they just saw how many of them were, all of the other mermaids would be killed or brought up to the Ground in glass boxes for the Walkers’ amusement. He couldn’t let them do that, couldn’t let them detect his queen, his friends, his brother-

That’s why every time the fishermen came back to question him, he stayed quiet. The only noises that ever left his mouth were whimpers as those filthy people hit him, tugged at his restraints to make the rope bite into his bones. He never said a word, just glared at them, until every expression was harder to do, until his actions seemed more and more empty as time passed by. But he couldn’t give up.

He slightly turned his head, hissing as his forehead rested on his humerus. He knew if he had had any tears to share, he would have cried them out now again, but the only thing that showed him he was close to crying was the knot in his throat. Just like he did every day, in his mind he apologised to his brother for not coming home, for never seeing his big bro ever again, for not listening to him.

The rustling sound of the bushes next to him made him tense and bit back another hiss. They were back again. They were back and he couldn’t do anything, he just had to take it, he had to-

Steps were heard before every sound was abruptly stopped. Stretch couldn’t ease his fast breathing as he waited them to come closer, realising it was only one person. Nothing happened for some minutes and the mermaid even considered the idea to look at today’s visitor, but he knew the pain wasn’t worth for it. Then the sound of steps continued, much slower and more careful now, coming to his side. Stretch was confused; why were they acting like this, why haven’t they spoken up?

He heard a whisper of swears as he was inspected, then a hand softly grabbed his chin. It was made out of bones. Stretch stilled, quickly opening his eyes and summoning his pinpricks with the last of his power. It took him time to adjust to the light, his surrounding coming to focus from the blurry mess and in the middle of it, he saw a pair of red eyelights. A skeleton monster was leaning towards him, kneeling on the ground next to him, his face closed off except the concern and spark of awe in his eyes.

Stretch didn’t know what to do. None of the fishermen were a monster, let alone a skeleton one, like himself. He didn’t want to trust him, this new Walker, but he already seemed different than the others. He was careful with him and there wasn’t a threatening aura around him. He was tall, but looked young, like someone who just stepped into adulthood. The mermaid wanted his instincts to be right, he hoped this was maybe a way out for him but he was also afraid and sceptical. He was so focused in his own mind and emotions that he didn’t even see the other’s mouth move until the words slowly reached him.

“-n you hear me?”

He made a quick decision that he wished he wouldn’t regret in the close future. He shakily nodded towards the other, hissing as the feeling of prickling needles hit his cervical spine. The other skeleton frowned, his eyes roaming over his body, inspecting it.

“Can you move?”

Stretch just shook his head once, his body still tense, waiting. After a minute, the other monster let him go and summoned a sharp bone in his hand. The mermaid whimpered, closing his eyes and getting ready for the worse, but it never came. Instead, he felt the careful phalanges hooking under his restraints, grabbing the rope, but making sure it didn’t hurt him. He heard the cutting of the material and in seconds, his own hands were freed.

He yelped, both from relief that he wasn’t tied up anymore and dread, because he was quickly slipping into the water, the rock behind him scratching his spine. Hands suddenly gripped him under his armpit, stopping him and he yelped again, now from the feeling the moving caused him, like fire going through his bones and a knife stabbing him at the same time. His breathing fastened, panic holding onto his mind, his pinpricks disappearing in his eyesockets.

“Shh, you are okay, just stay quiet.” The other said, trying to pull him up. Stretch shouted as the rocks on his fins just kept pulling him down and the skeleton put his hand to the mermaid’s mouth.

“They are going to find us this way, just stay quiet.”

He had to tell him about the rocks. He was going to permanently scar them if he continued. Stretch whimpered before he tried something he hasn’t done in weeks, summoning his eyelights again.

“F-Fins…Rocks…” His own voice sounded hoarse and weak, having to force those two words out but the other still heard him, stopping his movements and looking into the lake. The skeleton swore under his breath, before he looked down at the mermaid.

“This might feel uncomfortable.”

Stretch flinched at the familiar words but there was no mocking tone behind it, like the fishermen said it every time before they started hitting him. He suddenly felt a tug in his soul and as the hands let go of him, he was pinned to the ground by a force of some kind, not too hard to be painful, but still cramped. He gasped and stared down at his chest where a blue glow was visible under his ribs. He saw that the skeleton had one of his arms outstretched and Stretch realised the other used his magic on him. He started slightly shaking, not knowing what to expect now.

The newcomer, still on his knees, went to the edge of the lake, looking down onto it once again, searching. He then summoned two sharp bones and sent them down into the water. Stretch felt them touch his fins but they didn’t etch him, and then a second after he felt his lower part getting lighter, the ropes finally letting him go.

He sighed with relief as the pain ebbed a bit in his ecto-parts, his body finally going limp as he remembered how tired he was. He was too weak to think properly, even if some thoughts in the back of his mind warned him that he still wasn’t safe, that whatever the other wanted from him, Stretch wouldn’t be able to fight back. He dispelled his pinpricks, the last of his energy leaving him as the newcomer’s magic let him go, strong hands grabbing him and lifting him up into a bridal position. Out of water, his ecto-body disappeared and he heard a surprised gasp from the skeleton as his legs parted in his hold, the fake, orange flesh that held them together now gone. He thought he heard himself chuckle before he finally gave up his fight against the darkness and fainted.

**Author's Note:**

> [follow me on tumblr if you want!](https://pentollsinwriter.tumblr.com/)


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